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Even with her shattered mind, Lila managed to breathe out a small, broken “Five…” when he blipped back. She was helping Allison lie down on the couch, her family waiting just on the other side of the wall, but her gaze was locked on Five’s angry, furrowed brow as he explained.
We are the reason that this is happening.
We need to go back to our original timeline…
We cease to exist.
We’ll be erased from history.
“No,” Lila shot up from the couch, her voice tense with defiance. “I don’t like where this is going, Five. What about the kids? What about everything we’ve fought for, all this bloody time? No. I refuse to believe this.” She stood, pushing past him, her hand lingering on his arm for a brief, silent second.
“Mum, kids, let’s go. All of you.” Lila began gathering her family, urging them to move through their confusion and protests.
“Lila, what is happening?” Her dad tried to stop her, but she cut him off with her familiar glare, silencing him instantly. “Just trust me. Let’s go.”
“Lila!” Her family scrambled to follow, their steps hesitant yet quick. “Stop! You heard him!” Diego’s shout rang out, but she turned, meeting his gaze with fierce determination.
“I have to at least try, Diego!” she fired back. “I’m doing everything in my power.”
With every step, her decision hardened. She had known, since the whole ordeal started—since Five had vanished like he wasn’t going to return, and then reappeared to tell them they were all doomed—that this was her choice to make.
“Lila…” Five’s trembling voice made her hesitate for a heartbeat. “Don’t do this.”
I have to do this right, she thought, her resolve firming. I have to do this without him knowing. Because if he knows, he’ll never let me go.
The train was pulling in, and she could feel his desperation as he tried to stop her from leaving. “It doesn’t end until every trace of the Marigold inside us is gone,” he whispered, his eyes pleading, every syllable pressing against her.
She remembered all the things she had told him, words that spilled from her without fully understanding their weight, hurting him in ways she hadn’t even realized. But the memory of his haunted eyes in her living room, of him choking down shallow breaths and refusing to meet her gaze, burned behind her mind. She knew what had to happen.
With a distant look to Five, she began ushering her family onto the train—her kids, her parents, Claire. She squeezed Grace’s hand tightly.
As the train doors began to close with a mechanical hiss, she found herself taking a step forward, almost without realizing it, her family pounding on the doors in confusion.
“Lila!”
“Mommy? Mum! Mum!” Her little Grace was pressed against the glass, her tiny fists pounding, tears streaming. “Mommy? What are you doing?”
Lila’s heart shattered as she turned away, momentarily unable to face them. She gave Five one last, unreadable glance as the gravity of her choice settled over her.
The train started to move.
“It’s okay, love,” she managed through her tears, her voice barely holding steady. “I’ll see you soon, okay? I love you so much, baby. I’ll see you so soon, you won’t even know I’m gone.” She gazed at her daughter, seeing every precious moment flash before her—Grace’s first giggle, her first steps, her first words.
“Make sure you read to Gracie every night, okay?” She said hurriedly, the words tumbling out as if they could outrun her pain. “And… don’t let the twins fight!”
The train moved on, indifferent to her agony, riding relentlessly toward the unknown.
If they don’t make it… she thought, feeling her heart sink, but in her head Five finished her sentence for her. Then they don’t make it.
Gravity pulled her down, and she clutched Five’s arm, feeling the grief of her family’s absence rip through her, pulling her away from every timeline, from every memory.
Sobbing, she pounded her fist against his chest, her strength faltering. “I hate you for this.”
“I know,” he murmured, not breaking his gaze, his tone maddeningly resigned.
“I hate you so much for this,” she choked out, clutching his jacket, her nails digging in, desperate for one last sound, one last laugh from her little girl.
They say one thing that God can’t predict about humans, is a sacrifice.
Lila—the destructive, borderline-sociopathic, murderous, guarded woman—had become a bundle of vulnerability during the seven years they’d been lost. She’d felt every agonizing second pass, each one leaving its mark on her, but now, standing here in Five’s arms, she was able to let her guard down, if only for a moment.
Her eyes burned an intense blue as she blinked, a vivid glow sparked by both love and determination. She held his gaze, then deliberately closed her eyes and kissed him.
A surge of energy burst from her chest as she recalled the bitter burn of Viktor’s power, how it had pulled and drained through her, merging with Five’s abilities. Now, she was pulling from him again, forcing the energy into herself, consuming it.
“Lila?! What are you doing?” Five gasped, beginning to pull away, but she clung to his collar, her grip unyielding as the power continued to flood into her. She could see his heart breaking behind the blue glow in his eyes, yet she pressed on, refusing to let go.
If this was the sacrifice needed, then I would give everything—for him, for my family.
I finally found a place, I could call home. If it had to exist without me, then, so be it.
Fighting against his attempts to pull away, she kissed him fiercely, draining every last trace of the Marigold energy from him, until she was breathless and utterly spent.
Five more to go.
She took a shaky breath, savoring the last moments of closeness, then blipped away before he could voice a single protest, leaving him empty and alone.
The rest of the family was still huddled in the rundown living room, their worried faces snapping up in shock as Lila suddenly reappeared, exhausted and drained.
“Lila, the kids?” Diego's voice was shaky as he touched her arm, but she steeled herself, refusing to let any hint of her plan or hesitation show.
It would be so easy for them to convince me this plan is absolutely stupid and idiotic.
“They’re fine. This will work,” Lila said, looking up at Diego as she squeezed his hand, giving him a reassuring smile that hurt to keep up. “Everyone, gather around me. Five’s waiting for us.”
Klaus glanced over, visibly confused as he held Allison’s hands. “New plan? What’s happening?”
“Yeah, something like that,” Lila muttered, feeling the blue energy begin to flicker around her, ready to ignite. She grimaced as Luther clasped Diego’s hand, and the moment their family was linked, she let the blue energy engulf them all, guiding them into the subway platforms as another train pulled up.
When she glanced at Five, she saw the realization hit him. His face went pale, his hand reaching out in a last-ditch effort to stop her.
But it was too late.
The moment she landed on the platform, she began to draw in every pulse of Marigold from her family’s connected hands. The golden energy traveled through their veins, surging into her, crashing through her mind and body in relentless waves. A splitting crack echoed in her head, but she clenched her teeth and kept going, pulling the energy in despite Five’s desperate shouts behind her.
“Stop! Love, please! Stop!” His voice broke through the storm of power, raw and pleading. “Love, there’s another way. Don’t do this—to me.”
His words almost undid her. Her grip wavered, the blue energy flickering as she choked back tears. She met his eyes, mouthing, I love you.
In one final, blinding surge, the power coalesced and released, blasting across the platform in a radiant echo. As the light faded, she heard only the ragged breaths of her family around her.
“Did… did you just take all our Marigold?” Diego stammered, struggling to stand.
“Lila! Why? How could you do this?” Viktor’s voice trembled as he looked at his empty hands, trying to summon anything but finding nothing.
“This is the only way,” Lila said, her tears streaming as she looked at them all, her family. “Five was right. See? No more Marigold left. It’s all gone now.”
Without pausing, she began ushering them into the subway car that had arrived, fighting against their resistance. Diego grabbed her shoulders, trying to push back, but she kicked his leg and knocked him down, pulling him into the car. Allison was sobbing, blood still on her arms as she held them out to Lila, desperate.
“Allison…” Lila’s voice broke. “Please, take care of Gracie for me? Just… make sure she knows her mum loves her.” She gripped Allison’s shoulders tightly before pushing her into a seat.
Klaus stumbled into a seat, tripping over Luther’s legs as he tried to get up. Viktor was clawing past Luther, reaching for Lila’s hand, but she stepped back, her gaze flicking over them all, memorizing their faces.
“You guys, please, do me a favor.” Her voice was choked. “Get birthday gifts for the kids. Every year. Write letters from their mum. Tell them… tell them I love them, that I’m always with them.”
Diego’s eyes met hers, and he grabbed her arm one last time. “Lila… why would you do this?”
She cupped his face, her thumb brushing away a tear as she gave him a small, broken smile. “Because. I’ve always been disposable. Replaceable. You guys grew up together. I was… an addition. This... makes sense. This was always about the Umbrella Academy. About you guys.” She nodded as if convincing herself, as if this had always been the plan. “I’m a mirror for this exact reason. I can fix this.”
Diego’s hand shook as he held her gaze, his expression devastated. “Lila… please. Don’t do this.”
Her voice softened, her rare vulnerability slipping through. “I need you to be strong for them, Diego. For the kids. For me.” She lingered, her gaze steady and full of unspoken pain. Finally, she took a step back, her form beginning to blur as she prepared to let go.
She had saved the hardest part for last.
Stepping out of the subway car, Lila positioned herself right in front of the closing doors, her gaze locking onto Five. She whispered, her voice breaking as she pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, “I’m sorry, Five.” She knew how deeply she’d shattered his heart in the last half hour. “But even God couldn’t talk me out of this now. But, you know why... I hope you know why.”
Five’s face twisted, took a step right in front of her, his voice low and pained. “I hate you for this,” he muttered, echoing her words. “I hate you for this.”
As the subway doors slid closed, Five stepped out just before they sealed, mirroring her determination. She tried to push him back, her hands pressing against his shoulders, but he held onto her forearms, pulling her close. His arms wrapped around her, and despite her struggle, she felt herself breaking as her family, once again, shouted through the glass, their faces stricken.
But Five held her tightly, closer than ever before. His embrace was warm and unwavering, an anchor in the chaos.
“Lila,” he murmured. She cried silently, too stunned to return the hug, her body tense in his arms. “Do you want to go end this, together?”
“I could have done this alone, Five!” she snapped, pushing him back with a forceful shove. “Get on the next train!” Frantically, she looked down the tracks, desperate to see another coming in. “I had it all figured out. I was finally going to save everyone. Why did you follow me, Five?” She shoved him toward the approaching train, her desperation growing.
“No.” His grip tightened on her arms, his gaze intense as he held her close. “It’s always been you and me against the world. So, let’s face the world—together.” His hands shook slightly as he cupped her face, brushing her hair back gently, as though afraid to break her. “It won’t be as lonely, with two of us. We… we can finally wipe the red from our ledger. Let’s go home, together.”
“You don’t even have to die, Five!” she whispered, a mixture of pleading and frustration in her voice. “You could live. You could be with them.” Her hand fell to the bracelet on her wrist, its weight heavy with the future she’d tried to create for him. But Five’s eyes were unwavering, resolute.
“No. I’m not letting you die alone. Not like this. Never like this.” He took her hand, his hesitation evident, but his resolve even stronger.
“Please, just let me do this,” Lila begged, her voice cracking. “Let me do this one good thing in my life.”
Five’s grip on her hand only tightened. “Let me die with the one good thing in mine.”
Taking her hand, he led her up the stairs, the distant screams fading as the creature grew closer. Without a moment’s pause, Five stepped into a shallow pool of the thick Durango substance, his face tight with determination.
Hesitating, she joined him.
“It feels… strange,” he groaned as the burn crept up his legs, moving fast.
“It’s warm,” she murmured, watching it rise up her thigh, the heat intensifying. Her heart pounded as she met his gaze. “Do you really think this will work?”
Five sighed, resting his forehead against hers.
“This better work, or I’m filing complaints in the afterlife,” she joked with a weak laugh, hoping he’d smile.
“I can be the witness,” and he did, his grin widening as he hugged her close.
The viscous liquid rose around them, burning hotter as it climbed past their torsos, trapping them in their embrace. Their breaths quickened, but they didn’t let go.
"Fuck, I hate that we never got any proper time together." Lila bit her lip, crying again.
“You know why I did what I did, back at the greenhouse?” Five asked, his voice strained as the burning liquid enveloped his arms.
She nodded, her voice soft. “I know. And you know why I did what I did today, right?”
“I know,” he whispered.
She kissed him, knowing this was the last time she’d feel him close like this, the final chapter of their story. All the lies, the time travel, the tangled destinies, and the impossible choices—they all dissolved in the pressure of her lips against his. Everything ended here, sealed in that one, final kiss.
Darkness closed in around them as the Durango crept over their faces, and in that last moment, she felt the Marigold—their essence—drain away, fading completely.
Under a tree where children played and families gathered, two Marigold flowers bloomed side by side, swaying gently in the wind. As the world’s histories converged into a single stream, the two flowers stood rooted together, their petals wide and vibrant.
A child reached out, plucking one of the flowers, tucking it behind her ear with a grin, plucking the other and tucking it in a friend’s—unknowing of the silent witnesses they had become, side by side for eternity.
@gaishnik